Science on Qi

246 / Journal of Daoist Studies 5 (2012) Science on Qi Reviews of Research Literature Lee, M.S., Oh, B., & Ernst, E. 2011. Qigong for healthcare: An overview of sys‑ tematic reviews. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Short Reports, 2:7, 1‑5. doi:10.1258/shorts.2010.010091 Results from ten systematic reviews of research that assessed the impact of inter‑ nal and external qigong on a wide range of health outcomes. Five concluded that qigong was effective, particularly for treatment of hypertension and pain. Five reported inconclusive results. More rigorous reviews, such as those employing quantitative meta‑analytic procedures, reported positive results. Few studies using rigorous research designs, such as randomized controlled trials, were re‑ ported in any of the reviews. Keng, S.L., Smoski, M.J., & Robins, C.J. 2011. Effects of mindfulness on psycho‑ logical health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31:7, 1041‑1056. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006 The authors reviewed cross‑sectional, correlational, experimental, and clinical intervention studies of the relationship between mindfulness meditation and multiple indicators of psychological health. Positive effects included enhanced subjective well‑being, reduced psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, and improved self‑regulation of behavior. Psychological mechanisms that may mediate the influence of mindfulness practice were identified. Matchim, Y., Armer, J.M., & Stewart, B.R. 2011. Mindfulness‑based stress reduc‑ tion among breast cancer survivors: A literature review and discussion. Oncology Nursing Forum, 38:2, E61‑E71. Articles published between 1987 and 2009 on the impact of mindfulness training on psychological and medical outcomes among patients with breast cancer or heterogeneous forms of cancer in which breast cancer was the dominant form were quantitatively reviewed. Large effect sizes were found for perceived stress and state anxiety and cytokine production (% of T cells). Medium effect sizes were found for symptoms of stress and mood disturbance. Small effect sizes were found for lymphocyte increase, total cortisol decrease, monocyte decrease and eosinophil increase in white blood cells, and increased natural killer cell ac‑ tivity. Effect sizes were sustained for some outcomes 6 and 12 months after the intervention. News of the Field / 247 Shapiro, S.L., Brown, K.W., & Astin, J. 2011. Toward the integration of medita‑ tion into higher education: A review of research evidence. Teachers College Record, 113:3, 493‑528. Studies on the impact of meditation on cognitive and interpersonal skills re‑ quired for effective academic performance among university students were re‑ viewed. Training in meditation was found to produce moderate to large effect sizes for improvement in attention and behavioral processes associated with it, information processing, academic achievement, stress tolerance, creativity, inter‑ personal relationships, empathy, and self‑compassion. Research Studies Brewer, J.A., Mallik, S., Babuscio, T.A., Nich, C., Johnson, H.E., Deleone, C.M., Minnix‑Cotton, C.A., Byrne, S.A., Kober, H., Weinstein, A.J., Carroll, K.M., & Rounsaville, B.J. 2011. Mindfulness training for smoking cessation: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 119:1‑2, 72‑80. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.05.027 First published randomized controlled trial designed to examine the impact of mindfulness meditation on 88 nicotine‑dependent adults who were smoking an average of 20 cigarettes per day. Compared to control‑subjects randomly as‑ signed to a treatment comprised of the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking treatment, those who practiced mindfulness twice weekly for 4 weeks (8 sessions) in a group format, showed a greater rate of reduction in ciga‑ rette use during treatment and maintained these improvements 17 weeks later. Carmody, J.F., Crawford, S., Salmoirago‑Blotcher, E., Leung, K., Churchill, L, & Olendzki, N. 2011. Mindfulness training for coping with hot flashes: Results of a randomized trial. Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society, 18:6, 611‑620. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e318204a05c A randomized controlled trial examined the impact of mindfulness training de‑ livered by instructors who were blind to study outcomes to 57 women who re‑ ported experiencing an average of 5 or more moderate hot flashes (including night sweats) per day during the preceding week. An additional 53 women were assigned to a wait‑list control group and were offered the mindfulness...